Christ Lutheran Vail is a community of followers of Jesus Christ, committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope. We welcome people from all walks of life, wherever they are in their spiritual journey.

Jul 9, 2017

Devotion - July 9th - Righteousness from Faith

A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily
prayers this week. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin. We
continue a multi-sermon series on Galatians that will run through the summer.

Epistle Reading-
Galatians 3:1-5

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was
before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let
me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or
by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun
by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did
you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does
he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do
so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—

Devotion: Righteousness
from Faith

As we recall, the Galatian church had slipped into trying to
obey Mosaic law as part of their salvation. When Paul was amongst them years
ago he taught them the Gospel news about God’s grace and how freely it is
provided if one has faith. Now in his absence, they have listened to false teachers
and seem to be under a spell [Who has
bewitched you?] Paul is trying to paint word pictures, trying to get them
to get out of the law mode and into the Gospel teaching of faith and Grace. How
do we receive the spirit? Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that he has
sacrificed His life for our salvation. Once that we accept Paul’s argument that
humans are not perfect and are not able to perfectly obey the law it opens the
door to salvation by receiving the Holy Spirit through faith. Paul says in
verse 2: “by hearing with faith”. I pray
that you are a person of faith.

We pray: “Lord help
me recognize and strengthen my faith in You. Amen”